[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H3437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                      IN MEMORY OF JAMES OBERSTAR

  (Ms. BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as I rise today, I am terribly, 
terribly saddened by the news of the passing of my very close friend 
and former colleague, Congressman James Oberstar. My thoughts and 
prayers go out to his family, Jean, his children, and grandchildren.
  Mr. Oberstar was a true ``transportation guru.'' There was no one in 
Washington and most likely in the entire world who knew more about 
transportation than Chairman Oberstar. And he could tell you about it 
in several different languages.
  For 36 years, Congressman Oberstar served the people of Minnesota's 
Eighth. I traveled on many codels with Mr. Oberstar, including a trip 
to Haiti, where he taught English there at the U.S. Embassy early in 
his career. I remember being so impressed not just by the amount of 
knowledge he had about Haiti, its history, politics, and 
infrastructure, but that he spoke French as well as in Haitian.
  In closing, I take from the Bible: Mr. Oberstar has fought a good 
fight, he has run the race, he has finished his work, he has done a 
great job. God has blessed America by giving us Mr. James Oberstar.

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